Rivals.com strengthened its category lead in college basketball recruiting Tuesday with the announcement that industry legend Bob Gibbons had joined the Brentwood, Tenn., based company.

Gibbons is widely considered the most respected basketball recruiting authority in the nation, and he's covered recruiting on a national level for the last 30 years. He will serve as a National Analyst for Rivals.com and will begin in that capacity immediately.

"Bob Gibbons has seen every great high school basketball player for the last three decades," said Rivals.com executive vice president Bobby Burton. "He watched and evaluated the likes of Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing and Kevin Garnett in small gyms across the country before the mainstream basketball fan knew who those guys were. Bob's national reputation and credibility are impeccable."

During his career, Gibbons has been recognized by publications such as The Sporting News, USA Today and ESPN.com as the top source for accurate and reliable college basketball recruiting news. Sports Illustrated rated Gibbons as the No. 1 high school talent scout in America.

Gibbons is a longtime member of the McDonald's All-American selection committee, a consultant for the Parade All-America teams and a voting member of the Naismith Basketball Awards Committee. He is the director of player selections and camp organizer for the National Basketball Players Association Top 100 Camp, held annually in Richmond, Va., as well as the director for the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions.

Additionally, Gibbons spent 10 years as the chairman of player selections for the Nike All-America Camp, and he's also been consulted for recommendations for the ABCD Camp run by Sonny Vaccaro and the Roundball Classic All-Star Game. He is a member of the Basketball Writers of America and on the advisory board for Who's Who in Athletics in American High Schools. Additionally, Gibbons' expertise has landed him appearances on ABC's Nightline and CBS' "60 Minutes." He also appeared in the popular basketball documentary "Hoop Dreams."

"I think Rivals.com is the ultimate sports recruiting Internet site in existence, and for me, it's a great opportunity," said Gibbons, who makes his home in Lenoir, N.C. "I'm very excited and enthusiastic about this association."

Gibbons isn't the only new addition to the Rivals.com team. Rob Matera has also joined Rivals.com.

Matera was one of the early pioneers in taking recruiting news online with his work for Full Court Magazine in the 1990s. He is a member of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, and he's provided recruiting analysis for Basketball News and been a guest on ESPN Radio. Matera will serve as the East Coast Analyst for Rivals.com.

"We are taking recruiting coverage to new heights, and this is another step in the process," Burton said. "We are determined to deliver our millions of readers the best. That's what we're doing here."